terça-feira, 3 de fevereiro de 2015

In all English-speaking countries, February 14th is a
special day for people in love. It's not a holiday, but it is a very good day
for flower shops, sweet shops and card shops.

On
this day, children write their names on cards with hearts on them, and give
them to their classmates and teachers. Usually every classroom in America in a
school have a box with an opening on the top where children can mail their
cards, decorated with pictures of hearts, cupids and arrows.

Teenagers and adults give cards, presents and flowers
to their boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands and wives, or to someone whom they
have fallen in love with. People usually do not sign these cards and a lot of
time is spent in trying to guess who has sent them!

Nowadays, not only husbands, wives, boyfriends and
girlfriends, but also grandparents, cousins, friends or even acquaintances take
the occasion to express their affection for each other by sending a Valentine
card. The tradition of Valentine's Day is the tradition of love. Celebrating it
in many ways is custom that brings happiness into the lives of many people. It
is a day for fantasy and caprice, and for the confession of tender emotion.

On February 14th, Americans celebrate Valentine's Day, the day of love and affection.
The origin of the name comes from St. Valentine. He was a priest in Rome who helped the persecuted Christians. So he was sent to prison and was beaten to death on February 14th, about 270 A.D.
The romantic meaning of the day comes from the fact that it coincided with the Romam festival Lupercalia. This festival was held on February 15th in honor of the birds which would choose their partners for the mating season on this day. According to the legend, the birds took their big decision on February 14th. Then human beings were encouraged to follow the example for the birds.
One of the beauties of St. Valentine's Day is that it helps people overcome their shyness. In the nineteenth century, young people started sending anonymous Valentine cards to the boy or girl or their dreams.
A "valentine" is a greeting card declaring a person's love for someone usually without giving the name of the sender. The person to whom a "valentine" is sent is also called "valentine".
Nowadays people still send cards and presents not only to their sweethearts, but also to their friends an relatives.
Revista Speak up, São Paulo, fev. 2008.